In this series of articles, we will be sharing exclusive coverage from APF 2024. 

UNLESS you have been living under a particularly stubborn rock, you’ll have noticed that Farma is entering the forwarding game. Unveiled last year to much fanfare at an event in Estonia – attended by Forestry Journal – the LF8 is an eight-wheeled, 8.5-tonne machine, designed with low-impact forestry and manoeuvrability in mind. 

APF presented the first opportunity many in the UK will have had to see the machine in the flesh. 

“It’s great to finally have it here in the UK,” said Farma’s man in the country, Tom Belton. “It’s a mid-sized forwarder, with full eight-wheel drive. 

“We saw a gap in the market around this sort of tonnage. We wanted to get it into that 8 to 10 tonne section. Low impact is such a key topic right now. 

APF marked the first time the LF8 had been displayed in the UK APF marked the first time the LF8 had been displayed in the UK (Image: FJ/Jack Haugh)

“People were asking for a smaller, lighter, nimbler machine, especially in wet winters. We think we have nailed it.” 

In the year since the LF8 – a tribute to the late Fors MW founder Lief Fors – was first shown off, the forwarder has undergone several tweaks, with the front shortened and more advanced hydraulics introduced. 

Tom added: “Demand in the UK has been good. When we first launched it, the phone rang. Even better than we thought it was going to be.” 

Head to our YouTube channel to watch a full version of this interview, which will be published in the coming weeks.